I Wish I'd Kissed You Then
by GalaxieGurl
Summary: A tiny drabble prompted by A Night at the Bones Museum.
1. Chapter 1

I Wish I'd Kissed You Then

A/N: This little drabble has been floating through my head since I re-watched _Night at the Bones Museum_ last evening as a break from the Olympics.

Booth was stretched out in bed, flipping through the latest issue of _Motor Trends_ , a subscription to which had been his birthday gift from Christine. She'd been so proud of paying for it with chore money she'd earned. Smiling as he heard the shower turned off, he sat up, plumped the pillow, and stuffed it behind his head more comfortably.

He'd hung a new nightgown on the door hook where Brennan kept her robe as a small surprise for her. He planned on divesting her of the satiny garment before they fell asleep, but he knew its soft burgundy silk fabric would please his Bones.

Presently the ensuite bathroom door opened, and Brennan walked out, toweling her freshly-shampooed hair.

"So you think I don't already have enough nightgowns in my dresser, Booth?" she questioned him with a flirty grin. "This is a wonderful choice; Papinelle has such comfortable designs, attractive but not fussy. You spoil me, Booth; thank you!"

"Nothing's too good for you, Bones. You really like the plain ones?"

"When I was little, I hated the lacy ones my mother bought me; they were scratchy and I couldn't sleep. I drove her nuts whining about it. I suppose that's why Christine is the same way, some maternal curse from her grandmother to aggravate me."

Booth laughed aloud as Brennan slid into bed. "I thought you didn't believe in the afterlife."

"You're rubbing off on me, I suppose. I hear her talking in my head sometimes; Max too…."

"They're always with you, right in here, Bones," he said softly, tapping her chest with his hand. "You look lovely, but you're even more beautiful au naturel to me."

He leaned forward and kissed her gently. She responded by deepening the kiss until they both needed air.

"You know what I was thinking about while you showered, Mrs. Booth?"

"I can't imagine."

"How much I wished I'd kissed you that night standing in the Egyptian Exhibit, after we arrested Turnbull. It was just the two of us, and the mummies. I was so glad you didn't come with Hacker."

"What happened between us, should just be ours, isn't that what you told me?"

"Yeah, I did. Egypt was right, throwing you that gala, the least Azita Jabbari could do. You turned history on its head, Bones; proving Anok was innocent after all those centuries."

"You changed history every day, keeping people safe; you still do, Booth."

" _We_ keep people safe, Bones, both of us; I couldn't do all that without your genius."

"I was just about to kiss you that night, Booth…."

"I was weighing the risk, Bones, I came so close-and then those dunderheads from the lab had to interrupt us,"

"They're not dunderheads, Booth, they're our friends; our family," Brennan protested.

"Well, they interrupted a moment between us; so yeah, they are kinda dunderheads ,Bones."

"It took losing Mr. Nigel-Murray for us to finally-"

"see the light," Booth finished her statement, and squelched further conversation by pulling her down to him. Reaching over, he flipped off the bedside lamp and gently slipped the new gown off her shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 (Throwback to 100th Episode: Season 5 Episode 16: The Sum in the Parts of the Whole)

It was a hot humid day and Brennan had brought Booth several chilled drinks to keep him hydrated while mowing the lawn. She'd gone back in the house, folded two baskets of laundry, and gone upstairs to put away her children's garments. While placing a stack of small t-shirts in Hank's dresser drawer, she noticed the mower's drone had stopped.

She collected damp towels from their ensuite and the children's hall bathrooms, returned to the laundry room, emptied the dryer of Booth's socks and super hero boxers, and started a load of his dress shirts. Thirsty, she went to the kitchen for a drink and glanced outside. Booth was sitting in his Adirondack chair, legs crossed, leaning back. She smiled to herself in approval of his taking a break.

Continuing her chores, she emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, vacuumed the living room, cleaned the guest bath, and straightened magazines and coloring books in the basket next to the fireplace. Suddenly she paused, listening to silence; no mowing. Walking quietly to the back door, she looked out the window. Booth was still sitting where she'd seen him last.

For the last half-hour, he'd been there. This from a man who never stayed still for very long. Something was up. She studied his posture. Booth was hunched over, staring off into space, a rapidly-warming glass of iced tea forgotten on the table beside him.

Frowning, Brennan went to the fridge, filled two tumblers with water and ice, grabbed a box of raisins and opened the back door. Normally, Booth would have turned, smiled, and offered to help her carry stuff. She came up behind him, set the drinks down, leaned over, placed her hand on his shoulder and kissed his forehead.

"What's on your mind?" she asked softly.

He straightened up, and looked her way.

"Just thinking…."

She waited.

"About that night on the steps in front of the Hoover, after Sweets' stupid suggestion….about our reunion at the coffee cart…."

"Booth, that was 14 years ago."

"Yup, 14 years ago today, Bones! I went about things both those nights all wrong. The first one I totally botched; the second should never have happened…."

"How do you mean?"

"I shouldn't have rushed into that talk without thinking it over a couple of days, should've told you how wonderful I thought you were, should've just told you I'd wait for you," he said ruefully.

"Never should've mentioned that I had to move on….I should've shut up and kissed you, just like I nearly did; gently, softly, hopefully."

"And the coffee cart? Should've never happened like that; I should've told Hannah no; sent her on her way to file her report; never taken a walk with her out to that damned fig tree."

"Hell, I should've told Colonel Pelant NO, and gone with you to Maluku, kept you safe from those snakes!"

"I wish I'd kissed you that night at the Hoover, Bones. Let my lips say what my heart was feeling that way, not blathering on about moving on! I was such a fool!"

"Booth, I shouldn't have turned you down so abruptly, but explained my need for a little time and space at that point. I was tired of crime and death, victims and violence; I needed a break…..not as much from you, but from the work."

"Yes, your declaration and insistence caught me off-guard, scared me, but I should've told you how I felt, not clammed up like a frightened rabbit…."

"Running halfway around the world for a year wasn't the brightest thing I ever did. I should've gone on a much shorter dig, kept in touch with you and the team by email, immersed myself in the dust and the artifacts I love to clear my head. That split was as much my fault as yours."

She placed her finger under his chin, and gently raised his head to look into his eyes.

"I wish I'd kissed you then, too. What a short-sighted coward I was."

Booth gave her a watery, crooked smile.

"At least we came back together and finally got it right, huh?"

"Yes, we did." She leaned in and kissed him soundly. "I'm kissing you now, Booth."

He put his hands on his thighs and stood up suddenly, grasping her hand.

"Ya know what, the lawn can wait! We've got better things to do before the kids get back from the park, Bones. I hear our bedroom calling. Let's go kiss each other while we can! And plenty more!"

"Last one upstairs is a rotten egg," she exclaimed and took off.

"No fair, Bones, you got a head start!"

"I can outrun you, you know!"

"Try me, Booth, try me!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sometime in the future; after 2018 (Prompted by Season 4 Episode 24 The Beaver in the Otter)

Brennan and Booth had spent the last two hours watching _The Darkest Hour_ , seated comfortably side by side, propped up in bed on numerous pillows, her head on his shoulder. Their children were out for the evening, and the couple had stopped at Founding Fathers' for a celebratory departure drink with Wendell, newly promoted to Director of the Chicago Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory.

As the credits began to roll, Booth mused, "Churchill was one of Pops' heroes. He always told me he wasn't sure the Allies would've won the war if it hadn't been for Winston's sheer force of will and bull-headed determination."

"He was certainly an impressive and influential figure in history," Brennan agreed. "I never really knew the details of his life, although Max once said he thought the man's greatest strengths was his absolute honesty with himself and others, willingness to face difficult truths, never downplaying the dangerous risks Britain faced in taking on Hitler, rather than negotiating with Germany as Halifax and Chamberlain advocated.

"I read that Churchill's decision ordering Brigadier Claude Nicholson's 30th Brigade to continue their attack at Calais without surrender made him physically ill," Booth told his wife.

She stared at him, aghast. "I'm sure it did. That was tantamount to a suicide mission."

"Indeed it was," Booth agreed. "Those men knew there would be no evacuation for them, and they were subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans. Their valor kept the port of Dunkirk open. But by 1943, Nicholson became so depressed as a POW that he jumped from a window, and died from a skull fracture."

"Facing the dire consequences for men he ordered into battle must have taken a toll on Churchill, just as some of your sniper missions did, Booth," Brennan said softly, reaching over to massage his shoulders. "But he was honest with himself and the British people."

Her husband heaved a great sigh. "I know exactly how he felt. I used to drive poor Aldo Clemens crazy trying to reconcile my actions with my conscience."

Neither spoke for a while, each lost in their own thoughts, but Brennan continued to rub Booth's tensed neck muscles. Suddenly she grinned to herself, remembering another evening at the Founding Fathers. _Perhaps_ , she mused, _it would raise Booth's spirits to recall the incident._

"Do you remember the night you met Jared at the Founding Fathers before his trip to India? And we shared drinks together after you saw him off?"

"You told me you'd never been bad, and you didn't want your frontal lobe to be a dried-up raisin," he replied, smiling slightly. "So I convinced you right then and there to be bad; to dine and dash."

"I guess I should be honest with you, Booth, after all this time. I know what you really did," she confessed, kissing his cheek.

"I met Angela there two nights later, and arrived before she did. Sam confided that he'd overheard our conversation, pouring another round for the couple next to us. He thought you were so clever convincing me to be 'bad' while leaving money on the bar without my noticing. 'God, go, go, go! No! No! Go, go!' you said, pushing me out the door in front of you!"

"Sam was so impressed that you didn't stiff him in spite of pranking me; said you were one of the most honest patrons he had."

She gazed lovingly into his warm brown eyes. "I wish I'd kissed you that night, Booth! I should have; been spontaneous like you were. I nearly did; give you a peck, wish I had."

"Well. Bones, I guess you have a debt to pay, huh?" he chuckled. "You've cheered me up a little, but I could use more help here, don't cha thin-?"

His statement was cut short as she kissed him soundly. "Enough talking, Booth. Hit the lights and the remote, and I'll help you all night!"

"Every hour you continue to exist is of the greatest help to the BEF. Government has therefore decided that you must continue to fight. Have greatest possible admiration for your splendid stand. Evacuation will not (repeat not) take place, and craft required for above purpose are to return to Dover."[4] Churchill later wrote that he felt physically sick after sending the telegram.[5]

On 26 May, the German barrage continued and in the afternoon, the Germans broke through, taking Nicholson and many soldiers prisoner.

Nicholson was given command of 30th Infantry Brigade, which was created on 20 April 1940 to serve in Norway.[4]

Nicholson's brigade left Dover and reached Calais on 23 May 1940 to keep the Calais port ope

Nicholson died in captivity in the German city of Rotenburg an der Fulda where he was kept as a POW. According to his death certificate, he threw himself out of a window after suffering from depression, suffering a skull fracture. He was taken to the city hospital, where he died in the early morning hours of 26 June and was buried at Rotenburg Civil Cemetery.

Churchill orders Brigadier Claude Nicholson in Calais to lead the 30th Infantry Brigade in a suicide attack to distract the enemy while the soldiers at Dunkirk evacuate.


	4. Chapter 4

I Wish I'd Kissed You Then Chapter 4

Today would have been Pops' 90th birthday. Booth and Brennan were at the Founding Fathers, having a celebratory drink in his honor. They usually did this to commemorate Grams' and Hank's wedding anniversary as well, keeping alive the tradition Booth' grandfather had begun the year after losing his beloved wife to cancer. Before meeting her partner, Brennan would have disdained such a practice as mawkish, but she had come to recognize its deep significance and value, on both a personal and anthropological level.

(Since Jared and Shrimp were below the legal drinking age back then, Hank had adjusted his usual practice from sharing a vintage toast at the neighborhood bar to cooking Margaret's favorite evening meal; her Italian spaghetti, Caesar saIad, sourdough bread, and double chocolate cake with Irish Bailey's icing. He figured the boys could tolerate a small dash of whiskey for dessert, especially if they weren't aware of it.

His reason for concealing its presence lay more with Edwin's failures than anything else. More than once, lying in bed at night, Hank had wracked his brain for a different way he could've protected the boys, particularly Shrimp, but ordering his alcoholic son out of their lives was the only solution he'd seen. Heaving a deep sigh, he'd turn over, punch his pillow in frustration, and try to get some shut-eye before morning. Taking on two rambunctious grandsons was not how he'd planned to spend his retirement years, but family came first.)

Brennan had easily mastered all of Margaret Booth's traditional recipes, and relished the experience of doing so, since her own grandparents had never been part of her youth. Hank had given her several old cookbooks, an enameled Pennsylvania Dutch motif metal recipe box, and a worn blue canvas ring binder notebook full of Grams' handwritten specialties. Parker, Christine and Hank now clamored for these favorites, along with Carly Victor's macaroni and cheese, Pops' Battle of Inchon grilled cheese sandwiches, and Max's delicious banana/vanilla wafer pudding.

Perched on the same bar stood from which Brennan had once yanked Jared for belittling his older brother, Booth leaned over and kissed his wife.

"Bones, I'm sure looking forward to digging into Grams' spaghetti when we get home; followed by a big wedge of her Bailey's chocolate cake! Ya remember that poor Priceco employee Meg Tracy?"

Brennan smirked as she returned his kiss. "How could I forget, Booth? For a while, you were mourning that case ruining your penchant for chocolate cake, but that didn't last long."

"Don't think I ever told l you the Priceco supervisor scolded Pops when I went to question her. I told him to stay put under a sign, but oh, no… he started helping customers and walked up wearing one of those blindingly orange vests! The lady thought he was an employee."

"Dayglow orange, Angela said it was," Brennan remembered. "Hank told me I had steel ovaries that day."

"He was right, Bones, you do!"

"After you left to question Stephanie Simon, he told me he'd never been prouder of anyone than you, Booth. That's when he asked me to tell you about your dad leaving, and hold you," she mused. "He never stopped worrying about your welfare."

"He sure had a good time at Club Jiggle, didn't he?" Booth remembered with a grin. " 'There's nothing wrong with big women; your gramma had some jam in her jelly,' he said. Ha! If Gramma had been anywhere in earshot, she'd have punched him in the arm!"

"I think that poor homeowner missed his wife as sorely as Pops misses Grams," he declared.

"Missed, Booth. I thought you believe your grandparents are reunited now."

"I do, Bones. Sometimes, I forget he's gone, you know? Seems like he's still at Willow River. I hear him in my head. That day we drove him back to the retirement center, he told me, ' _Now listen._ _You remember._ _It's all in there._ _Everything you need to know._ _You just do what it tells you_.' "

"I don't believe the way you do, but I know what you mean, Booth. When he pulled me aside before we left, he said not to be scared, that I wouldn't want any regrets; that life passes so fast. When I said I didn't understand, he poked me in the chest, and said _'Yes, you do.'_ Hank was a very wise man."

"I should've listened to him right then and so many other times, Bones. I wish I'd kissed you right in the middle of that sidewalk; after we watched Pops walk back inside pulling his suitcase behind him. Instead, I just stood there, and made some lame remark, telling you I liked that 'thing' you were wearing around your neck, your gold chain."

"I should've told you how beautifully your deep blue wrap dress hugged your curves, embraced your willowy body, followed my heart right then and there, like Pops counseled me, and kissed you senseless, like I so badly wanted to!"

"That was truly an awkward moment; as much as you finding my gum in your mouth," Brennan saidsoftly. "I agree, we were both foolish that day, sticking to that silly line of yours! I wanted to kiss you too, right then, Booth! But we did eventually get it right, and now we have our 30 or 40 years together, just like your grandparents."

"I'll never stop kissing you, Bones, even when they have to wheel me over to reach your bed."

"Speak for yourself, Booth! I'll have you know I certainly don't plan on spending my twilight years in a bed! I will go out on a dig, Seeley Booth! A trowel in one hand and my brush in the other!"

"If anybody will pull that off, Bones, it'll be you! And I guess I'll be right beside you! Who else will keep you safe?"

A/N: Credit for Hank's wise words go to the Springfield! Springfield! script site, an excellent source of Bones' quotes: view_episode_ ?tv-show=bones&episode=s05e08

. /view_episode_ ?tv-show=bones&episode=s05e08


End file.
